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Getting Started: Choosing A Breed

Getting Started with Chickens This document discusses getting started with keeping backyard chickens. It covers choosing the right breed of chicken based on size, egg laying abilities, and other traits. Hybrid chickens are also discussed as a good option for egg production. Providing a secure coop and run is essential, with the recommendation that the run be as large as possible to prevent boredom. Local regulations regarding keeping chickens are also outlined.

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65 views5 pages

Getting Started: Choosing A Breed

Getting Started with Chickens This document discusses getting started with keeping backyard chickens. It covers choosing the right breed of chicken based on size, egg laying abilities, and other traits. Hybrid chickens are also discussed as a good option for egg production. Providing a secure coop and run is essential, with the recommendation that the run be as large as possible to prevent boredom. Local regulations regarding keeping chickens are also outlined.

Uploaded by

ronalit malintad
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Getting Started

Keeping a few chickens in the back yard really is quite straight forward;
however there are some things to consider in order to get the right sort of
birds for your situation and to keep them in the best possible health to get
the most enjoyment out of keeping them.

This page hopes to get you thinking about the types of chickens and their
requirements.

Choosing a breed

White Orpington growers

There are quite literally hundreds of different breeds of chicken to choose


from and out of these, many have slightly different requirements.

Some breeds of chicken come only as Large Fowl, and others are also
available as Bantams which are a smaller version that look the same. The
Orpington for example is available in both large and bantam sizes but the
Cochin is only available as large fowl.
There are a handful of ‘True Bantams’ where there is no large fowl
equivalent. Examples of these are Dutch Bantams, Japanese Bantams and
the popular Pekin Bantam.

Bantams tend to be quite flighty whereas the heavy breeds of large fowl
often cannot fly more than a few inches off the ground. Orpingtons for
example won’t usually roost very high due to their huge size and will usually
just huddle on the floor of the coop.

Every breed is slightly different in the amount of eggs they lay. Typically
hens that have been bred for exhibition purposes do not lay as well as utility
hens. Bantams of course lay smaller eggs which some people say they prefer
for taste.

Hybrids

Hybrids are chickens that have been created by crossing


pure breeds. They are typically crossed to make good layers (the hybrid to
the right can lay 280 to 300 eggs!), coloured eggs or attractive hens. Some
can be very attractive and they are all generally very hardy. Hybrids are
produced in larger numbers that pure breeds and most of the crosses used
make the males a different colour as day old chicks so that only females can
be raised, therefore reducing costs by about half. A typical hybrid hen will
cost you around £15 compare to £25 to £30 for a typical pure breed hen.

Hybrids are a good choice if eggs are one of your priorities although if you
think you might like to hatch some eggs, remember hybrid hens do not
breed true – you would need the original pure breeds to cross again in order
to create more of the same thing so whilst you can hatch their eggs, you
may want to consider a few pure breeds for this purpose or consider buying
in eggs to hatch.

Free Range
You will of course need a chicken coop but also a secure run or area that is
predator proof. A question that people always ask me is “How big should
their run be?” I always say “as big as possible within reason.” Even 2
chickens kept in a 2 meter run will soon turn it to mud and get bored (which
can introduce vices such as feather pecking and egg eating) but I always
believe that it’s fine to provide a small run like this if you can let them out for
a few hours each day to free range while you are around. This will give them
a chance to forage, supplement their diet and reduce boredom.

Once chickens have settled into their new house, they will go back to it to
roost every night so you can let them out in the late afternoon, knowing they
will come back to roost at night keeping everyone happy! Some houses and
runs have handles or wheels that make them easy to move onto fresh
ground which is not only good to prevent a build up of worm eggs and
disease but also provides them with a little fresh grass to graze.

Keeping Chickens in the Garden


Young Black Australorps in the Garden

If you have a ‘nice’ garden that you don’t want spoilt, it’s usually a sensible
idea to limit their foraging. Chickens scratch at the ground, make dust baths
in the dry soil, leave muck wherever they go and destroy tender young
plants. If you can plant in pots, this will help and fencing off part of the
garden is usually a good choice to keep them out if you have tender or
precious plants. Chickens with feathered feet scratch less and bantams can
clear a 6 foot fence if they want to. Heavy breeds of large fowl can be kept
out with a knee high fence or box hedge. If you want to stop a bird from
flying then you can clip one wing (not both).

So you have decided on the breed that’s right for you and your
circumstances. Next, you will need to think about keeping them secure from
predators in a suitable chicken house and chicken run 

https://keeping-chickens.me.uk/getting-started/

Rules and Regulations


There are no national rules or regulations in the UK that stop you from
keeping small numbers (less than 50) chickens however there are some
regulations to check first.
 DEFRA: You are allowed to keep up to 50 chickens on your land without
registering with DEFRA, however after the avian influenza outbreaks, a poultry
register was set up in 2005 and you are required to register if you keep more
than 50 poultry on the premises – so you need to take into consideration any
other poultry you have. There is more information on my page: DEFRA: The
Poultry Register
 By-Laws: There are occasionally by-laws for certain properties that prevent
people from keeping livestock. Check with your local council that this doesn’t
apply to you.
 Covenants: There are sometimes covenants put in place by housing
authorities and councils to stop tenants from keeping chickens at their property.
This seems to be a local decision as there are no national restrictions.
 House Deeds: Again, the deeds of some properties may state that you are
not allowed to keep chickens (again, often stated as keeping livestock). If your
property is free of restrictions, you should be able to keep chickens without a
problem, however do keep in mind that local residents may complain to the
council about noise levels if you keep a cockerel.
https://keeping-chickens.me.uk/getting-started/rules-and-regulations/

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